This invention relates to an anti-skid or traction-aid device for a vehicle wheel assembly, and more particularly to such a device for use with a pneumatic tire of an automobile or the like while mounted on a wheel rim having multiple radially-extending spokes to which the device is removably attached.
The traction device of the present invention is designed for rapid and convenient installation and removal from the vehicle tire while in contact with the surface of a road.
Two useful alternatives to the common practice of employing metallic chains to envelop the tread portion of a vehicle tire are disclosed in my U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,893,497 and 4,278,122. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,497, there is disclosed an anti-skid apparatus made from a tire casing from which a radial segment is removed so that the casing can be placed over the tire of a vehicle while in contact with the road surface. A fastener is used to interconnect the end portions of the tire casing. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,278,122, there is disclosed a traction device for a vehicle wheel assembly having spoke hole openings in the wheel rim thereof which engage with support arms extending to a carrier plate at the hub portion of the wheel assembly. Traction arms are attached to the carrier plate to extend across the treadwall portion of the tire. A threaded shaft extends from the carrier plate to the axle member of the vehicle for engaging the support arms with the wheel rim.
In other forms of anti-skid apparatus, an anti-skid arm is made from a narrow band or strap with a plurality of such arms arranged at spaced-apart locations about a surface of the tire. The manner by which the arms are supported is very important and greatly affects the successful use of the device. One general concept for supporting the anti-skid arms is to mount them onto a plate that is attached by the wheel lug nuts to the wheel studs for the vehicle wheel. Examples of such a support plate are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,397,277; 3,426,824; 3,753,456; 3,996,984; 4,089,369 and 4,089,359. The attachment of a support plate in this manner requires modification to the wheel assembly and/or longer wheel studs to accommodate the support plate which should be removed when not needed. Other forms of support for the anti-skid arms are designed to movably position the arms into supported relation with the tire surface by radially displacing the arms. Examples of such forms are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,601,882; 3,016,079 and 4,122,881. These forms of support are believed less than completely adequate to accommodate the loads and forces that are imposed on the anti-skid apparatus during use and generally require an operating mechanism that protrudes from the exposed side of the vehicle wheel.
The traction device of the present invention is particularly adapted to a wheel rim of a vehicle wheel assembly having elongated and slender spoke sections formed by openings in the wheel rim between the usual hub portion and a rim portion engaged with a tire. The slender spoke sections are advantageously utilized to form support sites for traction devices that can be attached and removed without modifications and cumbersome inconveniences.